PENNSYLVANIA. 1 .43,1 



and are not very numerous. A proportionate assemblage of the national 

 prejuuices, the manners, customs, religions, and political sentiments 

 oi all these will form the Pcnnsylvanian character. But the general 

 harmony has not been disturbed by national prejudices, or the diver- 

 sity ot rehgious opinions. The fiend of political discord has done 

 more in this, as well as every other state, to destroy peace and amity 

 among tne people, than any other cause whatever. 



Chief towns. ...Pennsylvania contains several very considerable 

 tow^s, such as Lancaster, Carlisle, and Pittsburgh. But the city of' 

 Philadelphia, which is beautiful beyond any city in America, and in 

 regularity unequalled by any in Europe, eclipses the rest, and merits 

 pellicular attention. It was built after the plan of the famous William 

 Ptim, the iouncier and legislator of this colony. It is situate about 

 120 miles from the sea, by the course of the bay and river ; and 55 

 or 6u in the south-eastward direction. The ground-plot of the city 

 is an oblong square, about one mile from north to south, and two 

 from east to west ; lying in the narrowest part of the isthmus, be- 

 tween tne Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, about five miles in a right 

 line above their confluence. The city is intersected by a great num- 

 ber of streets crossing each other at right angles. Of these there 

 were originally nine, extending from the Delaware to the Schuyl- 

 kill, , iich were crossed by twenty-three others running north and 

 soUl!;. The number of squares formed by these streets, in the ori- 

 ginal plan, was 184; but as several of them have lately been inter- 

 sected by new streets, their number now amounts to 304; and several 

 of these are again intersected by lanes and alleys. Market-street is 

 100 feet wide, and runs the whole length of the city, from river to 

 river. Near the middle it is intersected by Broad-street, which is 

 113 feet wide, and runs nearly north and south. The other streets 

 are 50 feet wide, except Arch-street, which is 66 feet. Most of the 

 city is well paved with foot-paths of brick, furnished with common 

 sewers and gutters, so that the streets are in general kept very clean 

 and neat. The houses in the city and suburbs are generally of brick, 

 three stories high, in a plain decent style, without much display of 

 ornament. In 1806, there were near 15,000, and in 1813, near 23,000 

 houses in the city and liberties, and the present number of inhabi- 

 tants is estimated at about 90,0U0. Philadelphia contains more than 

 50 places of public worship, belonging to different sects. The state- 

 house is a magnificent building, erected in 1735. In 1787, an elegant 

 court-house, or town-hall, was built on the left of the State-house, 

 and on the right, a county court-house. Here likewise is a public 

 hospital, dispensary, and several other public buildings. This city 

 is governed by a mayor, recorder, fifteen aldermen, and a select and 

 common council, according to its present charter, granted in the 

 year 1789. A malignant fever raged here in 1793, which in the course 

 of August and three succeeding months carried off 4031 of the in- 

 habitants. Happily the city has been free from this dreadful visitation 

 for several years. 



Lancaster, the chief town of Lancaster county, is the largest in- 

 land town in the United States : it contains about 7 or 800 houses, 

 and 5000 inhabitants. Harrisburg, on the Susquehannah, in Dau- 

 phin county, is a handsome and thriving town, and is the present seat 

 of the state government. Carlisle contains about 600 houses, and 2500 

 inhabitants. York, Reading, and Pittsburgh, are all flourishing towns, 

 in Pennsylvania. 



